Lucknow, July 7 -- Chandra Shekhar Azad, the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) president and Member of Parliament from Nagina, on Monday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry by the CBI into the alleged donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He also claimed his party will play a crucial role in deciding the next chief minister after the 2027 UP assembly polls. He made the demand for the CBI probe on a day on which the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust held a crucial meeting in Ayodhya. "This is not theft, it is loot and dacoity. They take votes in Ram's name, take money in Ram's name, and hurt people's faith in Ram's name," he said. The ASP chief was in the state capital on Monday for former minister Dr Masood Ahmad's joining the ASP. "As a lawyer, I demand a CBI probe under the Supreme Court's supervision so that things become clear. People's faith should not be played with," he said, dismissing SIT probes as tools to cover up irregularities. Announcing that the party would soon release a list of candidates, he said, "This time, the government of UP will be decided by the Azad Samaj Party, mark my words. We will decide who will sit on the CM's chair in UP in 2027." htc...